iPhone XR Specifications
While some speculation was leading to Apple using the last gen A11 bionic chip on the more affordable iPhone, the iPhone XR actually opts for Apple’s latest 7nm based A12 Bionic SoC making it equally powerful as its elder siblings, the iPhone XS and XS Max. The body of the iPhone XR is carved out of 7000 series aluminum as opposed to stainless steel on the XS and XS Max or glass on iPhone 8 Plus, but still manages to support wireless charging. However, there are multiple new finishes offering more choices than the conventional space grey or silver. There’s White, Black, Blue, Coral and Yellow, quite reminiscent of the affordable iPhone 5c launched a few years back. The device is also IP67 rated for water and dust resistance, which is a step below the IP68 rating on the elder siblings. It does come with the Dual SIM support, which is a welcome move.
Display
The display is now an LCD panel as opposed to OLED on the XS and XS Max. The display itself is a 6.1-inch liquid retina display with 326ppi and 120Hz smooth touch experience. It skimps out on 3D touch but instead employs something Apple is calling haptic touch. There’s also support for Tru-tone which enhances the whites on the display for a better viewing experience.
Camera
On the rear, there is a 12MP sensor with OIS and an aperture of f/1.8. This is the same sensor primary sensor used on the iPhone XS and XS Max. While there is no dual camera set up here, there’s still support for portrait mode which is software based.
Battery
The battery life on the iPhone XR is claimed to offer 1.5 hours of added usage when compared to the iPhone 8 Plus. On the front, there’s the same face ID tech found on the XS And XS Max along with tap to wake functionality as well. As for the exact capacity, we got to wait for iFixit or someone else to check and announce that.
So What’s Missing?
When compared to the XS and XS Max, the XR as mentioned opts for an LCD display instead of an OLED panel so expect lower contrast and saturation levels. Also, there’s no 3D touch, unfortunately, so no quick shortcuts on the homescreen or in the control center. So if you’re coming from an older iPhone, say 6S and above, you’ll surely miss 3D touch. There is only a single camera on the rear as compared to the new iPhone XS and XS Max (or even the iPhone 8 Plus) which will limit the camera functionality. The iPhone XR is IP 67 certified as opposed to IP 68 on the XS and XS Max
iPhone XR Pricing and Availability
The iPhone XR will be available in storage configurations of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB and will start at a retail price of $749 and will be available for pre-order starting October 19. In India, the iPhone XR will retail for Rs. 76,900 for the base variant starting October 29.
